A Home For My Heart
by teamWilson
Summary: Peter Florrick and Alicia Cavanaugh meet under very different circumstances. Peter is an ASA with a five year old daughter while Alicia works mostly from home, while raising her six year old son. What happens when these two single parents continue to cross paths and how long can they ignore their fate that just maybe, they were supposed to be together? AU.
1. Meet The Florrick's

******The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart**

******Summary:** ___Peter Florrick and Alicia Cavanaugh meet under very different circumstances. Peter is an ASA with a five year old daughter while Alicia works mostly from home, while raising her six year old son. What happens when these two single parents continue to cross paths and how long can they ignore their fate that just maybe, they were supposed to be together? AU._

___A/N 1: I wasn't going to post this yet as I only have two chapters finished and I like to have much more done before I start posting a multi-chapter fic; however; it's my dear friend Kiki's birthday and I'm pretty sure she's going to love what this story eventually has to offer, so I decided to start posting.  
PS: I think I might try shorter chapters for this fic so I can get updates out more often. Hope that's okay!_

******Chapter 1: Meet The Florrick's**

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Peter Florrick sat behind his large oak desk in his study unconsciously tapping his pen against the dark surface while he flipped through a few pages in a case file he had been unproductively staring at for the last half hour. He was looking for something, sure, but what that _something_ was, he currently had no idea.

Heaving a heavy sigh he pushed a hand through his short dark brown hair before straightening up in his chair a little and attempting to refocus his energy on the pages in front of him. He only had a few hours left to get his preliminary notes finished before he'd have to force himself to go to bed.

Being an Assistant State's Attorney for Cook County was an exhausting and for the most part completely thankless job but one he was happy and proud to call his. Sure, the pay was terrible for someone of his legal knowledge and capability, but the few times he considered leaving the SA's office to pursue a more prestigious career in private law firms he could always hear the voice of his father in the back of his mind; reminding him that life isn't about making money; it's about leaving the world a better place than when you found it. ___Easy for him to say__,_ Peter mused inwardly. His father was a judge, there was never a shortage of money to go around. Still, like it or not, his father would always be the voice of reason in his head that he couldn't turn off. And it was his father who made him the man he was today so all in all, he figured he had nothing to be towards the man other than grateful.

His mind now consumed with thoughts and memories of his late father, Peter nearly thought it was just his brain playing tricks on him when he suddenly heard a small creak of the hardwood floors around him. Confused, Peter looked up from his desk only to see the open doorway to an open hallway in front of him. Long ago giving up the notion that ghosts were ever a possibility, he instead shrugged it off as just a house noise and went back to reading over his work; grateful for the distraction that ironically recovered him from his initial _distraction_.

A few moments of silence passed before more creaks were heard, only this time they sounded heavier and as if they were coming straight towards him. Looking up again he could see nothing over his desk when suddenly a smile started to pull at his lips.

Pushing his chair back away from the desk he swivelled himself to the right and sat there patiently waiting, staring down at the bottom corner of the desk until he saw a head of soft dirty blond curls bouncing slightly as it poked its way around the corner of his desk and looked up at him.

"What are you doing Gracie?" Peter asked with a small laugh escaping him; his five year old only child a constant source for his amusement.

"Trying to sneak up on you" she answered easily, still on her hands and knees on the floor next to him; her large brown eyes that matched his staring back at him.

"I see" he smirked at her. "And why aren't you in bed where I put you…" he paused to glance at his watch, "nearly an hour ago?"

"I'm not sleepy Daddy" she sighed heavily as she stood to her feet in her yellow footed pyjamas and took the few extra steps to stand next to her father, bringing her small hands up to cover over one of his.

"Come here" Peter sighed as well, lifting Grace up and onto his lap. "Guess you're still jetlagged huh?" he surmised and Grace quickly scrunched her face up at the accusation.

"I don't have jet legs Daddy" she immediately dismissed the notion, folding her arms over her chest for dramatic emphasis and Peter couldn't hold back the small bark of laughter that escaped him.

"No sweetie, not jet ___legs_, it's… Okay look, you know how your bed time is 8:30?" He asked and she nodded slightly. "Okay, well, when you went to go see your Mommy for two weeks in Los Angeles the time is different there, so when you got home today and I put you to bed at 8:30 your body thinks it's still at Mommy's and that it's only 6:30. Does that make sense?" He asked and she blinked a few times in an attempt to understand him.

"So I can stay up because I have jet legs?" she asked and Peter laughed again before pulling her small frame against him and kissing the top of her head.

"No sweetie, nice try though. You have to try and sleep so you can get back into your routine. School will be starting soon so you need to get used to going to bed at a reasonable hour so you can get up early, okay?" He asked and she nodded slowly against his chest as a small yawn escaped her.

"See, you are tired" he smirked.

"But I wanna stay up with you Daddy" Grace whined lightly, her small fingers playing absentmindedly with the dark blue tie around his neck that he hadn't bothered to take off yet.

Peter couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips. He had missed his daughter too so he understood why she wanted to spend all the time she could with him now. Her twice-yearly visit's to her Mother's had always been hard on both of them. Although it gave Peter a chance to focus on nothing but work for two weeks, it was still hard coming home to an empty house at night, not being able to read Grace a story, or tuck her in at night. The last three years it had been just the two of them since he and Grace's mother had divorced and she had moved away for work. They talked a lot about who Grace would live with full-time and both decided it was in Grace's best interest not to uproot her from the home she had lived in her entire life so far. Peter was more than happy with this arrangement because the thought of his daughter living half way around the country was completely out of the question in his mind. He'd fight tooth and nail for custody first and if that failed, well he'd pack up his life and follow wherever his daughter went.

He never knew this side of him had existed before they had had Grace. Although the idea of having a family was always an 'eventual' plan of his, he didn't expect it to happen to him so early in life and so unexpectedly. He and Cheryl were young; he was fresh out of law school, a rookie in the State's Attorney's office and only 26 years old when his long time college girlfriend told him the news that they were expecting. She had just finished school and had received her degree in architecture so putting the brakes on her career to raise a baby was far from what she had imagined her life to be at 22. They loved each other though and so in an attempt to give it everything they had, Peter had proposed and they got married just a few months before Grace was born. Although he had lots of time to prepare; scheduling time off work, painting the nursery, building a crib, nothing could ever prepare him for the first moment he held his baby girl in his arms. It was in that moment he knew his entire life had changed, and for the better. And now, five years later, his world revolved around his little girl and he felt almost lost when she wasn't there, even if it was only a couple weeks out of the year.

"Okay Princess, how about we get you tucked back into bed and we'll read ___one_ story and then you have to go to bed okay?" He mentioned, emphasising the word one as he knew that story time with Grace could often turn into him reading her half of her collection in one night.

"Kay Daddy" Grace agreed before reaching her small arms out and clasping her hands behind his neck, letting him know she had no intentions of letting him go or walking on her own to her bedroom.

Peter chuckled slightly before wrapping one arm around her to secure her to his chest before standing up from the chair and carrying her out of the study and towards her bedroom.

He might be able to stand up and serve justice to the toughest criminals in the state on a daily basis, but when it came to his little girl, well, even he couldn't argue that she had him wrapped around one of her tiny fingers.

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___A/N 2: Would love to hear your thoughts so far. We will learn more about the separation and Grace's custody arrangements in a later chapter, I just wanted this to be an introductory. Up next we will meet Alicia and her son Zach! Stay tuned, and remember, reviews are love! xx_


	2. Meet The Cavanaugh's

******The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart**

******Summary:** ___Peter Florrick and Alicia Cavanaugh meet under very different circumstances. Peter is an ASA with a five year old daughter while Alicia works mostly from home, while raising her six year old son. What happens when these two single parents continue to cross paths and how long can they ignore their fate that just maybe, they were supposed to be together? AU._

**Chapter 2: Meet The Cavanaugh's**

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Alicia Cavanaugh was slightly startled awake when she felt an incessant tugging at her arm from where it lay underneath the pillow under her head. She attempted opening her eyes but immediately closed them again as the harsh lighting invaded her retinas and caused her to see spots, even with her eyes shut tightly now.

"Mommy, Mommy get up" an anxious voice gently begged and Alicia could do little more than mumble something incoherent into her pillow.

_It was far too early for this._

"C'mon Mom, you promised!" the small voice persisted and finally Alicia lifted her head slightly from the pillow and slowly began opening her eyes, still squinting in the early morning light.

"Zach..." she groaned, rolling onto her back and rubbing a hand over her face. "What time is it Baby?"

"I don't know" her young son simply shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Look at the numbers on the clock" she gently reminded him. He had mastered reading the digital clock by now, but the wall clock was a different story; though he was starting to get the hang of it.

"Um..." the boy paused for a moment as he looked up at the wall. "The big hand's pointing to the three, and the little hand is at the seven" he managed after a moment and Alicia let out an audible groan.

"Zaaaach" she whined. "7:15? Really? On a Saturday?"

"But Mom, you promised we could go to the park today, remember?" he reminded her; once again tugging on her arm.

"Yes, but not before the sun comes up" she joked before leaning over the bed to wrap an arm around his middle and lifting him into the bed with her.

"Come here you" she grumbled playfully as she snuggled him into her side and gave his dark brown hair a quick tousle with her free hand.

"Zach?" she began in a confused tone before pausing for a moment as she pushed herself up slightly on one elbow. "Is... why is your hair wet? Did you take a shower already?" She was more than shocked by the possibility of this. Bath or shower time was never a favourite activity of her son's. He'd rather just be _a boy a_nd be dirty all day if it were up to him.

"I knew you'd make me get cleaned up before we could go out" he simply shrugged and Alicia let out a hearty laugh. Only her son, at the age of just six, would have the foresight to have seen that coming and be one step ahead of her already.

"When did you become smarter than me, huh kiddo?" she asked before planting a kiss to his forehead and he giggled in her grasp as her fingers gently tickled his sides.

"Does this mean we can go now?" He asked hopefully;sitting up now facing his mother who was still propped up on one elbow.

"Not this moment, no" she gently shook her head. "And honey, you shouldn't be taking a shower by yourself when Mommy's asleep in case something were to happen, okay?"

"Okay" Zach sighed with defeat. He had a feeling he might get in trouble for that but pressing boundaries was nothing new for him. He was always trying to grow up faster than his mother wanted him to.

"Oh my gosh you're even wearing clothes that _almost_ match!" she teased in disbelief as she sat up a little further looking him over and his small features scrunched up in disagreement.

"These match" he declared, tugging on the hem of his two-tone blue striped rugby shirt.

"Well I think you need to re-think the green shorts there buddy" Alicia stated with a small smirk as she patted his knee. "But can we please just have breakfast and just relax for a little bit before we think about going anywhere?" She asked and he huffed in obvious disagreement.

"Honey it's too early for the park just yet" She reminded him. "There's not going to be any other kids there yet for you to play with"

"Well I told you you should give me a baby brother, then I'll always have someone to play with" Zach mentioned with a shrug and Alicia couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her.

"And _I_ keep telling _you_, that you are more than enough for me to handle little man" she told him and he scrunched his face up once more before folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm not little Mom, I'm six and three quarters!" he reminded her with a light groan.

"Right, six and_ three quarters_, how could I forget" she gently teased her son with a playful roll of her eyes.

"s'okay though Mom, I like that it's just me and you" Zach mentioned with a grin as he looked back at her with his bright hazel eyes that always reminded her of his father.

"That's right Baby" Alicia replied with a soft smile before pulling him close to her and planting a kiss on his forehead. "You and me against the world, right?"

"Right!" Zach happily agreed.

It had always been just the two of them since Zach was born and although it may not be the _ideal_ family tree, she was proud of what she had managed to do on her own. It was far from easy and there were certainly times where she wished that Zach had a father in his life and she had a man in hers, but at the end of the day, they were enough. Zach had always been very strong and independent since he was small and although he used to ask questions from time to time about why he didn't have a "Daddy" like all the other kids, it has started to get easier and he's come to embrace the fact that all they'll ever need is each other.

She held him in her arms for a few more seconds before he started to squirm slightly. She knew he was starting to get too old to want to be held by his mother for anything longer than a quick hug so with a sigh she gently pushed him back and flashed him a quick smile.

"Okay my little monster, how about we get some breakfast into you and then we'll go to the park in a few hours okay?"

"Oh-kay" Zach sighed heavily with defeat before climbing off the bed.

"Go put on cartoons and I'll be out there in a few minutes okay?"

"Okay Mom" her _not-so-little_ guy agreed before scampering off from her bedroom and out towards the main living room.

"I'm gonna watch Power Rangers!" Zach called out as he rushed excitedly down the hallway. "I'll be the blue one, you can be red this time!" he shouted and Alicia chuckled lightly as she shook her head.

"Okay" she called after him; exhausted even just thinking about having to run around the living room with her overly energized child. At least the park would do him good; hopefully tire him out by the time they got back home.

Alicia let out a heavy sigh before allowing herself to fall back into her nest of pillows underneath her. She was hoping to sleep in until at least 8:00 this morning but she should have known that Zach would have none of that. She couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she thinks of all the mornings she all but has to drag him out of bed to get ready for school; yet on a weekend or during Summer holiday he gets himself up at the crack of dawn with no trouble whatsoever.

She had had a late night the previous evening; working from home as she tended to do as much as possible. Being an interior decorator was hard work; despite what her Mother may say about it, which she often did. Sure she may not be in the elite class of decorators in New York or even Los Angeles, but Chicago was no easy feat, that was for sure. Her clients were usually high-business-class people who can be incredibly particular when it comes to the image they want to project for themselves. She had been up until the early hours of the morning putting together a new collection of fabric samples for her latest client who seemed to change her mind faster than Alicia could even blink.

If there was one thing that Alicia knew however, it was style. Sure it wasn't the career she imagined for herself when she enrolled in law school nearly a decade ago at the age of twenty; but life doesn't always play out the way we expect it to and when she got pregnant with Zach during her second year of law school she hadn't had much option but to take some time off. She always meant to go back, but studying law was hard work and would take a lot of time away from Zach; not to mention how time consuming it is for a young lawyer starting out in the working world. She'd be lucky if she even saw Zach enough to tuck him into bed at night so she had put the notion of that lifestyle away a long time ago.

She wouldn't change a thing though, she muses to herself as she looks over to her nightstand at a framed photo of her and Zach at his birthday party last year. She remembers the day fondly, as if it were only yesterday. There weren't many guests, just a few family members and a couple of Zach's closest friends from school. His Uncle Owen had gotten him a giant red firetruck which Zach was holding in his small arms in the photo with a ridiculous grin on his face. Owen had muttered some comment to Alicia when Zach had opened it how he wished he had gotten the firemen to go along with it and Alicia rolled her eyes at her insufferable brother, but couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. She couldn't complain though, Zach loved the gift and it was far more appropriate than the one her Mother, Veronica, had given Zach; an advanced chemistry set designed for kids nearly twice his age. On the up side though Zach wasn't terribly upset when his mother had taken it away from him because he hadn't had much interest in opening it anyway. Veronica had never really been great at picking gifts.

"Mom, come on it's starting!" Zach called out from the living room, pulling Alicia out of her reverie and back into the present as she heard him signing along to the Power Rangers theme song.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming" Alicia sighed; a silly grin playing on her lips as she listened to Zach singing what were for the most part incorrect lyrics that he thought were the right words, belting them out at the top of his lungs.

Her life might not be what she would have pictured it to be ten years ago but somehow, it managed to turn out even better than she could have imagined. She had Zach; the most incredible, beautiful, and smart _six-and-three-quarters_ year old kid there was. And she was certain that was all she'd ever need.

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_A/N: Thanks for all the love on the first chapter, and I hope you liked this one as well! Again, we'll hear more about the history of Alicia and Zach's father in a later chapter. Up next, a little more insight to Peter and Grace before we get to see the first encounter between Peter and Alicia. Stay tuned, and reviews are love! xx_


	3. Peter Rabbit

**The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart**

**Chapter 3: Peter Rabbit**

******Summary:** ___Peter Florrick and Alicia Cavanaugh meet under very different circumstances. Peter is an ASA with a five year old daughter while Alicia works mostly from home, while raising her six year old son. What happens when these two single parents continue to cross paths and how long can they ignore their fate that just maybe, they were supposed to be together? AU._

* * *

As he began to stir the following morning Peter quickly became aware of the pain and discomfort shooting up his spine and into his neck. Eyes still closed, he lifted his arms above his head in a stretch and a look of confusion crossed over his features as his fist managed to connect with the wall behind him as he stretched.

"What the-" Peter grumbled as he began to open his eyes. He sighed as he managed to finally open them fully and realized that he had apparently fallen asleep in Grace's small bed with her lying next to him and her story book she had asked him to read now laying flat on his chest.

Letting out an audible groan he rubbed the back of his neck as he pushed himself up until his back was resting against the wall. He was about a foot and a half too tall for this bed that was for certain, and he hadn't meant to fall asleep there. When it had happened, he had no idea. The last thing he could remember was reading Grace a story and waiting for her to fall asleep so he could get back to finishing his briefing notes before he went to bed himself.

"Must've been more tired than I thought" he muttered to himself before bringing his arm out in front of him to read the time on his watch. It was just after 9a.m. and not only was he shocked to find himself sleeping in that late, but looking to his left, he saw that Grace was still sleeping soundly as well.

Picking up the book that had now fallen into his lap Peter smirked as he held up "The Tale of Peter Rabbit". It was Grace's favourite; she for whatever reason found it absolutely hysterical that her father had the same name as the fictional rabbit character and would giggle every time Peter read the title to her before he would begin the story. The book had been a gift from Grace's grandmother, Jackie, who evidently found it just as charming that the brown furred, cotton-tailed bunny had the same name as her son. Peter was however grateful that Grace had finally grown out of that stage where she was actually calling her Dad "Peter Rabbit" and had now gone back to just "Daddy".

Smiling down at his little sleeping beauty, Peter brushed a hand through her hair before bringing his palm down to rub small circles on her back for a few moments; just enjoying the unprecedented silence before she woke up and inevitably turned into the rambunctious force of nature she usually was. She was an angel when she was asleep, but during the day it was like running a marathon just to keep up with her; just a never-ending source of energy his little one was.

"Hi Daddy" Grace mumbled groggily into her pillow as she slowly began to stir a few moments later.

"Hi Gracie" Peter replied with a warm smile as he continued the soothing motion on her back.

"Did you sleeped here?" she asked as she began pushing herself up until she was seated right beside him.

"I _slept_ here, yes" he corrected her. "I must've fallen asleep after you made me read Peter Rabbit for the ninth time" he teased and she still managed to let out a small giggle as she rubbed her tired eyes with both hands.

"It's my favourite one Daddy!"

"Don't I know it" he smirked at her. "You just love that rabbit" he sighed with a shake of his head.

"Don't worry Daddy, I love you too" Grace mumbled through a yawn before letting herself fall against his side; her small arms wrapping around him in a hug and Peter couldn't help the laugh that escaped him.

"I know you do Sweetheart" he told her before wrapping an arm around her small frame and bending slightly to place a kiss on top of her head. "And I love you" he mumbled against her hair.

"Daddy?" Grace began a moment later, lifting her head up from his side to look at him.

"Yeah Princess?"

"Will you always be my Daddy?" she asked quietly and Peter found himself caught completely off guard.

"What? Of course I'll always be your Daddy. Why would you ask me that?" He had to wonder, Grace had never said anything like this to him before.

"When I's at Mommy's, she had a friend there named Ben and he was a Daddy like you" she explained with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Oh..." was all Peter could manage for the moment. He hadn't known Cheryl was seeing anyone; let alone living with someone. Clearing his throat he decided it was best he explain everything to his daughter, even if she might not understand it all just yet.

"So he has kids too?" Peter asked and Grace simply shook her head.

"No" she shrugged.

"Did Ben or your Mommy ask you to call him Daddy?" The thought almost made him sick to even think about. Not that he thought anybody could ever replace him in his daughter's heart; but that didn't mean he wanted anyone to try either.

"No" Grace shook her head once more. "He's just Ben" she shrugged as her small fingers absentmindedly circled the buttons of his dress shirt.

"Well I thought you said he was a Daddy?" Peter asked, slightly confused by now.

"Uh huh" Grace nodded. "He wears ties like you do and goes to work and stuff. He boughted me present, and oh! He kisses Mommy sometimes" Grace said with a slight giggle at the latter confession.

"Ohhhh" Peter nodded as he realized how Grace could've made the connection. "Well, he's not a Daddy unless he has kids Honey" Peter attempted to explain. "He's just... a man" he shrugged. "A man who is probably very special to your Mom, but he's not your Daddy sweetheart"

"Only you get to be my Daddy?" she asked with her sweet brown eyes staring up at him and it instantly warmed his heart.

"Yes Honey, only I get to be your Daddy" he smiled at her.

"Good" she let out an over-exaggerated sigh and he laughed. "Cuz your the bestest at reading my stories"

"Well, glad I can bring something to the table" Peter teased, nudging Grace's side lightly with his elbow and causing her to giggle her infectious laugh.

"Is there anything else, or is it just my literacy that has won you over?" Peter asked and Grace seemed to ponder that for a few seconds as she wrapped a hand around her chin and tapped her index finger against it.

"Ummm..." She paused for a moment as she seemingly collected her thoughts.

"Oh! You make the bestest chocolate chip pancakes!" she exclaimed excitedly;slightly bouncing now where she sat next to him.

"Well, they are my specialty" Peter mentioned with a wink towards Grace and she nodded in agreement.

"Can we has those for brefakst Daddy? Please!" She gently begged; now tugging at his arm.

"We can _have_ them for _breakfast_, yes" he replied and she let out a squeal of delight before wrapping her arms around him once more for a final hug.

"Alright kiddo, we better get some pancakes in you huh?" he asked and Grace nodded happily. "And Daddy has the whole weekend off with you so you think of something you'd like to do okay?" he mentioned and her eyes instantly lit up.

"Can we go see Uncle Eli and 'Rissa?" she asked excitedly and Peter chuckled.

"_Ma-rissa_" he gently corrected her. As adorable as he found her language skills to be, he made sure to take every opportunity to correct her when it was needed.

"That's what I said, 'Rissa!" Grace tried once more.

"Well, _Marissa_ and Uncle Eli are busy today Sweetheart, but maybe we can see them tomorrow. We'll think of something else to do today after breakfast, okay?"

"Okay Daddy" she quickly agreed before jumping over his lap and scooting herself off the bed before racing off towards the kitchen.

Peter simply smiled as he watched her scamper down the hallway before eventually pushing himself out of the bed and following after her to get their day started. He knew the time would come when the subject of her mother's apparent new boyfriend might come up again but figured he'd rather wait until he at least spoke to his ex wife about it first. No doubt it could potentially be quite confusing for Grace and if he was being honest, Peter was a little upset that Cheryl hadn't bothered to mention it to him earlier. Not that he was jealous, he had long since given up the notion that he and Cheryl could ever work things out between them; but he didn't much like the idea of some guy he'd never met living under the same roof as his young daughter; not to mention the whole mess of trying to explain why her Mother was with a man other than her Father. He always thought that would be a delicate situation that they would want to discuss with Grace and each other before just surprising her like that with no sort of explanation.

Grace however didn't seem too phased by it so Peter figured he was likely safe for now. She was barely two years old when he and Cheryl had divorced and she had moved away and other than missing her Mother, Grace hadn't had much other knowledge on the situation so to her, living with Daddy 11 months out of the year was completely normal to her.

Peter had been on the occasional date here and there since their split; usually a blind date set up by his friends wives or people around the office but he had never brought any of them around to meet Grace. He knew how potentially confusing that could be for her and also couldn't risk the chance of Grace getting attached to anyone else that he wasn't certain would stick around so his daughter became completely off limits when it came to the women he was seeing. Not that it mattered much anyway, already having a child seemed to be somewhat of a deal-breaker to the women he dated as they were usually at that age where they were wanting to _start _a family, not join one already in progress. It got lonely sometimes sure, but Grace was a handful and more than enough to keep him occupied most of the time so that when he finally would get an evening to himself when his mother would watch Grace he usually liked to just spend it at home alone, giving himself the chance to just unwind, maybe have a few drinks and watch a ball game on TV. He wasn't exactly living the dream bachelor life, but he wouldn't trade any of it for the world either.

Chocolate chip pancakes and Peter Rabbit; it was enough for now.

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_A/N: Okay, last sort of introductory chapter out of the way and up next we will finally have Alicia and Peter meet for the first time! Reviews are love. xx_


	4. Hello Stranger

**The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart**

**Chapter 4: Hello, Stranger**

_A/N 1:The song used in this chapter, and the title name for the story is from the song "A Thousand Years" (Part Two) by Christina Perri ft. Steve Kazee. If I owned the rights to it, I would have a lot more time to write... C'est la vie._

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_~ The day we met,_

_frozen I held my breath,_

_right from the start,_

_I knew I had found a home for my_

_heart beats fast,_

_colours and promises,_

_how to be brave,_

_how can I love when I'm_

_afraid, to fall ~_

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It was shortly after noon when Zach had finally managed to drag his mother out of the apartment and they made the short walk over to the neighbourhood playground just a few blocks away. It was a warm Saturday afternoon, but the light breeze in the air made the weather simply perfect for a day in the park.

"That's far enough Zachary" Alicia had called out to her son as he came to a halt a few yards away from her in the open clearing of the park. He had been playing with his remote control helicopter for the last few minutes while Alicia sat on a long wooden bench and watched on from there.

"Kay Mom" Zach agreed; staying put where he stood but watching with excitement as he got his helicopter to soar higher and further away with just the press of a lever in his hands.

Alicia smiled as she watched him; seemingly lost in her own world until the incessant chattering between two women walking towards her seemed to pull her out of her daze. The two women just a few years older than Alicia took a seat next to her on the other side of the bench; fresh coffee's in hand from the small cafe around the corner and the inviting aroma caused Alicia to regret not stopping for one herself on the way here. She offered them a polite smile and a nod as they sat down, but didn't bother interrupting their conversation to say a hello.

They gossiped about random events and exchanged details of what the rest of their weekends entailed and Alicia only half paid attention to their conversation mainly out of boredom and lack of anything else to occupy her mind with as Zach stood pretty well in the same spot seemingly more interested in his electronic toy than participating in any actual physical activity. She felt a tad remorseful in that moment, thinking back to what Zach had said earlier about having a sibling to play with. Her response to him was true though; most days she had no idea how she managed raising one child on her own; let alone any more, but she did feel bad for him as he wasn't terribly social yet and had always felt shy about interacting with other kids that he didn't know. The school year was much easier for him as he saw the same kids every day and had created a bond with them, but in the summer he hardly saw them and Alicia was so busy with work this time of year that Zach spent most of his summer with his Grandmother or even occasionally his Uncle who was not only probably too young to have children of his own, but also had absolutely zero desire to either. Yes, the chances of Zach getting a family play mate anytime soon was next to none. It truly was just going to be the two of them from here on out.

"Oh. My. God" she heard one of the women next to her gasp and it startled Alicia slightly as she thought perhaps someone had gotten hurt, or worse. But taking a quick scan over the park, she could see no cause for concern.

"What?" Her friend had questioned, looking around as well.

"Ten o'clock" The woman replied, giving a nod of her head in the direction she was referring to. "Mmmm. Tall, dark and handsome. See him?"

Alicia's curiosity got the better of her as she followed the woman's line of sight until her gaze fell upon a man standing a few dozen feet from them; hands in his pockets as he watched after what was assumingly his young daughter with a broad smile playing on his lips. Alicia couldn't help how her eyes involuntarily rolled into the back of her head as she decided to ignore the two now giggling women and focus back on watching Zach.

_What was it with women and Dad's?_ She had to wonder. These two have children of their own, presumably, and judging by the sparkling rings on both of their fingers, they also have husbands who are father's, of their own. So what is with this obsession of pawing over men in the park like a feeding ground in the wild? Sure, maybe this guy _was_ attractive. He was quite tall; easily over 6 feet with broad shoulders, thick muscular arms, and short chocolate brown hair that had that effortless yet perfectly styled look that few men seemed to be able to pull off. He dressed well, wearing a pair of dark khakis and a sky blue polo shirt that hugged his arms, chest and abdomen perfectly. Okay so maybe he was _very attractive_; if she was being honest with herself. But she certainly wouldn't want a bunch of men standing around staring and snickering about her if she was out trying to spend time with her child, so why did these women think what they were doing was any more appropriate? And it wasn't like today was the first time either, she had seen it enough times to realize this had certainly become a 'thing'. The single mothers were the worst; Alicia excluded of course. She would hear them gabbing about a Father in the park, but the second a wife came around it was all judgement and name calling. Alicia couldn't wrap her head around it if she tried, so she preferred to just sit alone while Zach played, rather than attempt conversation with the man-hungry desperate housewives that invaded Austin Park on a daily basis.

"Where do I sign up to have him handle _me_ like that?" One of the women had muttered to the other as the same man had swooped up the young girl he was with and began spinning her around in his arms; causing the girl to laugh and squeal with delight before he set her down and she had run off to play again. Alicia unintentionally let out an audible huff of annoyance before gathering up Zach's belongings, stuffing them in his back pack and leaving her spot on the bench to go enjoy Zach's company instead. It was one thing to look at someone you find attractive, but another to start vocalizing completely inappropriate comments in a family setting such as this and she had a feeling it would only get worse from here, so best to take her leave now.

"What was her problem?" She heard one of them grumble as she got up and walked away, but couldn't be bothered to stop and acknowledge it so instead she just kept walking.

Looking out into the clearing she couldn't see Zach right away and couldn't help the instant strike of fear that settled in her; as it always did when she thought something may be wrong.

"Zach!" she called out nervously; sighing with relief only seconds later when he quickly yelled back to her.

"Over here Mom!" Zach called out, standing a few yards away near a cluster of tall oak trees and Alicia began making her way over to him.

"What are you doing over here? I told you stay where I can see you" Alicia reminded him sternly as she approached.

"My plane got stuck" Zach moaned; bottom lip already quivering and eyes red with tears threatening to spill at any second as he stared up at the large branch where his red helicopter lay nestled in the leaves.

"Oh" Alicia sighed, hating of course to see Zach upset, though judging by the branch that was almost ten feet in the air, she currently had no idea what she was going to do to get it out of there.

"Well, maybe, we throw a rock or something at it to knock it out of the tree?" Alicia suggested but Zach quickly shook his head.

"No! You'll break it!" Zach immediately dismissed the idea.

"Okay, ummm," Alicia tapped her chin as she looked around for another solution.

"I could climb the tree" Zach suggested with a shrug.

"Absolutely not! Heaven forbid you were to fall, you could break an arm or a leg!" Alicia quickly dismissed the thought and Zach huffed in frustration.

"I can do it Mom!" he insisted, folding his arms across his chest.

"No Zach, you're too small Honey. I'll... hmmm. I'll figure something out" she assured him as she took the few steps over to the large trunk of the tree and started looking it over.

There was absolutely no spot close to the ground where she could even begin to get a footing on the tree so climbing was quickly out of the question. She could lift Zach, but she knew she wasn't tall enough for that either. Another six inches or so might do the trick, but there wasn't much she could do to help that.

Finally, with a small sigh, she turned and knelt down to Zach's eye level.

"I'm sorry Sweetie, maybe we can get you another one, okay?" She tried, and instantly felt her heart beginning to break when his eyes started filling with tears. "Oh, come here Zach" she soothed, pulling him against her as he cried against her shoulder. She knew that particular toy had meant a lot for him, because it was the last gift her father; Zach's grandfather, had given him before he passed away early last year. The thought alone nearly brought Alicia to tears as well as she gently rocked Zach against her and tried to calm him down.

"Shhhh, it's all right Honey" she gently soothed, rubbing her hand in small circles on his back as she held him closely.

"Um, excuse me, Miss? Can I help?" a voice suddenly came from behind her and Alicia nearly fell backwards on her butt as the voice startled her. Turning her head she was surprised and beyond embarrassed to see the handsome stranger from earlier standing there with a little girl not much younger than Zach holding onto his hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It's just, Grace here told me there was a boy crying over here and I thought, maybe there's something I could do?" he offered apologetically with a small smile.

"I wasn't crying" Zach quickly muttered, wiping his face with his shirt sleeves.

"Yes he was Daddy" the girl immediately challenged, looking up to her father. _Kids._

"It's okay Grace" he mentioned quietly towards her before turning back to us. "You know what Sport? If I had a cool helicopter like that and it was stuck, I think I'd be crying too" the man mentioned with a wink towards Zach and actually managed a small snort of laughter out of him which caused Alicia to smile before standing up and straightening herself out.

"Well, it's pretty high up there, we can't figure out a way to get it down" Alicia shrugged. "Zach's grandfather gave it to him, so it's a very special toy" she explained quietly, wrapping an arm around Zach's shoulders and giving him a reassuring squeeze.

"Hmmm" the man began as he looked up to the branch that held the captive toy. "Well you know, you're pretty tall there Sport, I bet you if I got you up high enough, you could reach it, what do you think?" He asked and Zach's features lit up as he looked over to his mother, silently asking for permission.

"Go ahead" she nodded and Zach grinned as he looked back towards the older man before them.

"My mom said okay" Zach explained happily and the man smiled at him.

"That's a good man, listening to your Mother" he pointed out before kneeling in the grass in front of Zach who quickly climbed up to sit on his shoulders and securing his hands underneath the mans chin.

"Okay, here we go, are you ready?" the man asked and Zach nodded eagerly.

"Ready!" he shouted.

The man stood up, holding Zach on his shoulders as he positioned himself under the branch.

"Okay now Son, you're gonna have to stand up on my shoulders to reach it okay? Don't worry, I won't let you fall" he assured him and Zach began lifting first one foot, then the other to the man's shoulders until he was standing up while the man stretched his arms above his head to hold onto Zach's waist.

"I got it! I got it!" Zach shouted excitedly a mere moment later and was quickly brought back down to safety as the man hoisted him off his shoulders and lowered him down until his feet touched the ground again.

"Mom look! I got it!" He shouted once more and Alicia smiled.

"I see that, that's great! Now, what do you say Zachary?"

"Oh, right" Zach giggled bashfully before turning back to the man. "Thank you Mister"

"You're welcome Sport" the man offered another quick wink to Zach.

"Really, thank you so much, we wouldn't have never gotten it out of there" Alicia admitted with a shy smile towards the stranger.

"It was no problem at all" he quickly assured her. "Oh, uh, Peter, by the way" he mentioned, holding his hand out to her. "And this is Grace" he continued, gesturing his head towards the young girl at his side.

"Alicia" she smiled towards him, placing her hand in his. "And my little pilot, Zach" she continued, their hands dropping from one another as the man, Peter, crouched down and held his hand out to Zach.

"Pleasure to meet you Zach"

Zach grinned, taking the much larger hand in his and offering it a firm shake.

"Grace, Honey? Do you want to say hello?" Peter asked of his small daughter and she smiled brightly as she ran in between them.

"Wanna play?" she asked Zach; wasting no time whatsoever and Zach simply shrugged before nodding in agreement.

"Okay"

"Leave your toy here Zach, you guys can go play on the playground" Alicia mentioned, holding her hands out and taking the helicopter and remote from him before placing it inside his back pack and the two children ran off towards the various swings, slides and climbing obstacles a few yards away.

"Well that was fast" Alicia chuckled as Peter stood back up in front of her.

"Yeah, Grace has always been pretty outgoing" Peter mentioned with a shrug. "Probably gets tired of playing with her old Dad" he mused and Alicia laughed.

"Well don't worry, I don't think I'm Zach's first choice for Power Rangers sparring partner either so, I hear you on that one" She smiled towards him and he grinned as he nodded in understanding.

"Do you... Would you like to sit down?" He asked, gesturing towards a bench not far from the jungle gym Grace and Zach were currently playing on and Alicia hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Sure, why not"

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_A/N: You know the drill by now, if you liked it, let me know! A lot more Peter and Alicia interaction coming up in the next chapter, so stay tuned!  
PS: If you haven't seen it yet, my latest A/P video can be found on youtube here: /watch?v=Ega9lKZ-lug_


	5. Coffee and Conversation

**The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart**

**Chapter 5: Coffee and Conversation **

_A/N 1: I was going to just rotate every chapter between Peter's and Alicia's different POV's but the last chapter, as well as this one will be told from Alicia's. Peter's will follow in chapter 6. Hope that's alright. Onward and enjoy..._

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Alicia sat at an unoccupied bench smoothing her hands over her jean clad thighs as she waited for her kind stranger to return from the coffee cart that was a few feet away. She had no idea why she was feeling nervous, it was just two parents chatting in the park, so why the sudden nerves building up inside her stomach?

"It's not like it's a date" she grumbled under her breath. For starters, she wasn't even sure if he was married or not and even if he was, it wouldn't matter. She wasn't in a place for a relationship right now, never mind adding the complications of them both having children and the baggage that comes along with that. Besides, he's probably got a gorgeous wife who's out shopping or something right now while he takes care of their daughter for the day and she was not about to turn into one of _those women_. Why was she even thinking about any of this? Clearly she needed to get out more. When was the last time she even-

"Milk and sugar, right?" Peter asked, extending a paper cup out to her and it started Alicia as she had once again gotten lost in her own thoughts.

"Sorry" he chuckled. "I seem to do that to you a lot" he apologized with a smirk.

"Oh no, don't be sorry. It's me I'm just... blah, today" she finished lamely with a wave of her hand.

_Blah, Alicia? Really? That's not even an adjective. _

"Yes, thank you for the coffee" she finally managed, giving her head a shake as she reached for the steaming beverage, cradling it in both hands.

"No problem" he nodded before sitting down next to her on the bench and taking the first sip of his own drink.

"Hey, not half bad for a coffee cart in the park" he shrugged before settling his hands between his knees. "How's yours?"

"It's perfect, thank you again" Alicia smiled genuinely at him.

"So, Zach... How old?" Peter asked, gesturing over to the swing set where Zach was pushing a giggling Grace and Alicia lit up at simply the mention of his name. She could talk about her son all day and night if anybody would to bother to listen. Yes, she was definitely _one of those mom's,_ but just couldn't help herself.

"Well, that depends who you ask" She began with a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Okay..." Peter let out slowly, turning to face her better and seemingly intrigued and charmed by her vague answer.

"Every time I say that he's six he feels the need to correct me and let me know that he is in fact six _and three quarters_" she explained and Peter let out a puff of laughter.

"Don't you wish we could still count our ages like that to make us feel younger rather than older? You know, 'life's okay, I'm only thirty-two and a quarter, plenty of time left'" he joked and Alicia nodded with a smile.

"Oh, if only" she sighed. "Some days trying to keep up with that little munchkin I feel like I'm fifty!"

"But in the end, they really do keep us young, don't they?" He asked and she nodded.

"They do" she agreed. "How old is Grace?"

"Just turned five last month. Lucky me got to host the Disney Princess themed birthday party" He replied with a smile tugging at his lips. Alicia couldn't help but realize the same shift in demeanour when he too spoke of his child. And did he just say _he_ hosted? Was there no Mrs. Handsome Stranger in the picture? Interesting.

"Zach wants to do pirates this year so, that aught to be interesting" she mused with a playful roll of her eyes. "I suppose it beats the Power Rangers that we did last year. Though I must say I think I made a pretty convincing Pink Ranger" she smirked and he laughed.

"A better Ranger than I made a Princess, I can guarantee" he teased and Alicia nearly spit the coffee she had just drank straight out of her mouth.

Quickly bringing her hand to her mouth and wiping off the dribble that managed to escape her lips she cleared her throat once she swallowed and looked him square on. "You _did not_ dress up as a princess"

"Ah no, I did not" he admitted with a smirk. "Had you going for a second though"

"Uh huh" Alicia could only nod in agreement.

"I do however throw a _fabulous_ tea party, I must say" he mentioned and it brought Alicia to laughter once more.

"Oh, some times I wish I had a little girl to have tea parties with, and play dolls and dress up. I got a stinky, roll around in dirt and play with bugs, boy instead" she grinned as she shook her head.

"Yeah, I suppose I got lucky though because Grace is really active and has starting taking some interest in sports. Haven't been able to get a basketball in her hands yet, but she's pretty good with a soccer ball"

"Ugh, I can hardly get Zach out of the house" Alicia grimaced. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that he's so smart but when I tell him he should go sign up for T-Ball or something he asks if we can just go to the library instead"

"Well, to each their own I guess" Peter shrugged. "I can't get Grace to even look at a book unless I'm the one reading it to her. She said she doesn't have to learn because I do it best anyway"

"Aw, well that's sweet" Alicia smiled.

"Well, sweet or not, her teachers probably aren't going to think so when she starts school next week" Peter sighed.

"Well, I guess Zach was easy because he was already interested in it, but I found that reading with him helped a lot. We would each take turns reading one word at a time and it's best to start them out with a new book that they've never heard before so they're not just trying to say the words from memory" Alicia shrugged and Peter nodded his head as he mulled over the advice.

"Great idea, thank you. I'll give it a try"

"No problem"

They stared at each other in a comfortable silence for a few moments as they just embraced the company of another adult and parent to be able to chat with. It was certainly nice, for a change.

"Figures" a voice muttered from behind them and Alicia looked up to see the two women from earlier walking by their bench with three young children now in tow as they passed them by. Alicia couldn't help the groan that escaped her.

"What was that about?" Peter asked with a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Friends of yours?"

"Them? No, I've never met them actually" Alicia said, shaking her head. "It's nothing" She told him with a wave of indifference but when Peter raised a questioning eyebrow at her Alicia knew she'd have to give a better answer than that.

"It's, I don't know, a woman thing, I suppose" Alicia shook her head and confusion crossed across Peter's features, causing her to laugh.

"No, not _that_ kind of woman thing" She decided to quickly put him out of his misery before he became uncomfortable. _Poor guy_, she mused. _Wait till little Grace becomes a teenager..._

"Do you really want to know?" She finally asked asked with a sigh and he smirked.

"Well now you have to tell me, obviously"

"Okay, well earlier I was sitting next to those two and they were... Gosh, this is embarrassing" She muttered the last statement mainly to herself before getting back on track. "There were, _talking_ about you and... Well, I just didn't think it was very appropriate so I got up and left and I may have inadvertently offended them I suppose" She explained but Peter still looked confused.

"Talking about me? But they don't know me..." He began and Alicia laughed, shaking her head.

"They knew enough apparently just to look at you" she shrugged. "How do I say this... It wasn't exactly your _personality_, they were discussing"

"Ohhhhh," Peter began as he seemed to clue in, then he furrowed his brow almost immediately as it really sunk in. "Really? Women do that? I mean, I could see it in a different setting of course, but here?"

"It would seem so, yes" Alicia nodded.

"Huh" Peter shrugged. "So now what, now that you're sitting with me...?"

"Basically I'm the devil" Alicia shrugged with indifference and Peter let out a bark of laughter.

"Well, my apologies for turning you then" he teased.

"Women" Alicia sighed jokingly and Peter laughed once more.

"Yep, I'm glad most days I only have one to deal with" Peter joked and Alicia looked at him a little more seriously now, wondering what the social etiquette was for bringing up ones marital status with someone you've just met. Does she ask, or just let it lie?

She was spared the potential embarrassment however when young Grace came running towards them, practically hurling herself into her fathers chest.

"Daddy!" she squealed with delight, nearly knocking the wind out of her poor unsuspecting father in the process as he caught her with a loud 'hmmffff'' sound escaping his chest.

"Hey Sweetheart, be careful, Daddy's got hot coffee" he gently warned, lifting the hand holding his cup away from her.

"Ooops" the girl giggled, holding her hands over her mouth. "Sorry Daddy"

"Did you have fun playing?" Peter asked and she nodded eagerly.

"Yeah huh. Zach is so much fun Daddy!"

"Well I'm glad" he smiled at her.

Alicia looked across the playground to see Zach still swinging away on the monkey bars and a smile crossed her lips.

"Looks like my little monkey is still going strong out there" she mentioned with a laugh. "I'll be dragging him out of here kicking and screaming no doubt"

"He's _really_ fast!" Grace chimed in. "We raced and Zach beat me like, every time!" She explained and both Peter and Alicia let out a small chuckle. "Does he play soccer?" She asked towards Alicia.

"No, he doesn't. Maybe something to think about though" she shrugged.

"Yeah, because the bestest kids are always fast!" Grace explained amusingly. "And he doesn't have to be really good at it, cuz Daddy says we should just play to have fun" she continued and Alicia smiled at the informative little girl.

"I see, well your Daddy sounds pretty smart" Alicia replied with a wink towards her.

"He is!" Grace exclaimed with excitement. "He's a liar!" She explained and Alicia gave her head a quick shake in confusion; certain she hadn't heard the girl right.

"A what?" Alicia nearly gasped at her own question.

"_Lawyer_, Sweetheart, not liar" Peter quickly corrected his daughter. "Sorry, she still has trouble with some words" Peter apologized and Alicia couldn't help but laugh at the awkward mix up.

"For a second there, I was worried" she teased.

"Well, some people would argue there isn't much difference anyway" Peter joked and Alicia smirked, nodding her head.

"Well, I guess you have a point there"

"Daddy, I hungry" Grace interrupted with a huff, holding her stomach with her hands.

"You ready to go home then?" He asked her and she nodded. "Alright then" he sighed, pushing himself up from the bench and turning back towards Alicia. "I guess I better get her home" he shrugged and Alicia nodded in understanding.

"Of course. Zach and I should be going shortly as well"

"Well, it was nice to have met you, Alicia" he told her with a genuine smile and she offered one back in return.

"You too, and thanks again for your help earlier, oh, and the coffee"

"It was no problem. Take care"

"Goodbye Grace, it was a pleasure to meet you" Alicia mentioned towards the little girl who was currently swaying her fathers hand in hers and smiling.

"You too Mrs. Zach's Mom!" she said and both Alicia and Peter chuckled.

"Bye" Alicia managed through a laugh, and with that the two of them turned around and headed out of the park; the little girl gabbing to her Dad the whole way about everything she had done today during their visit in the park while her father listened intently, smiling at her all the way.

Okay, so maybe she could kind of understand the whole _'Dad'_ appeal...

* * *

_A/N 2: Thoughts? Leave it in a review, I'd be happy to hear from you :) Prompts are also welcomed, but no promises there. I can always try though._


	6. The Ex Factor

**The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart**

**Chapter 6: The Ex Factor.**

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to have the next chapter nearly ready to go before I posted this one so hopefully you won't have to wait long for another update._

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It was late Sunday evening and nearly Grace's bed time by the time she and Peter arrived home after spending the day out and then having dinner at their usual Sunday spot; a small family run Italian restaurant that Grace absolutely loved.

Entering their home Grace immediately ran towards the living room, knowing full well that every Sunday night after dinner was the time for her weekly phone call to her Mother in Los Angeles, so she picked up the cordless phone and hit the button for the third speed dial and waited patiently while the phone connected.

"_Hi Sweetheart!_" The warm voice of her mother answered after only one ring, and instantly bringing a smile to the little girl's lips.

"Hi Mommy!" Grace answered enthusiastically while Peter entered the room, taking a seat next to Grace on the sofa.

The two chatted for a few minutes; Peter of course only being able to hear Grace's side of the conversation but she was mostly telling her Mother about their day and what she had had for dinner and how she was excited to begin school in just _two more sleeps_.

Peter smiled as he watched her talking about school. They had spent most of their day shopping for school supplies and new clothes for Grace and she was beyond excited. Peter on the other hand had been a little nervous about the whole thing. Grace had been to daycare before of course and last year began going for half-day's of Junior Kindergarten four days a week, but beginning next week she would be spending a full day in school for five days a week. He wasn't entirely sure how she was going to cope with that, or even how he was for that matter. Not that it would interrupt any of his time with her; he rarely saw during the day on weekdays anyway because of work, but at least he knew she was safe and with his Mother and if she ever needed anything he was just a phone call away. This not knowing how she was doing all day every day in a new setting with new people, hadn't quite settled with him yet. He figured he was being silly, unreasonable really, but he had never gone through this transition before and he couldn't help himself but worry about it just a little. That was his job after all, was it not?

He snapped out of his reverie momentarily at the sound of Grace's infectious giggle and he turned his head back to her smiling at her once again as Grace now began on her story of how she had gone to the park the day before.

"Uh huh, and I made a new friend Mommy! His name is, it's, um, Daddy, what's my friend's name again?" Grace asked, now looking at her Father a little confused and Peter chuckled as he shook his head. She'd always had difficulty remembering names and just often referred to all her playmates as 'friend'.

"Zach" he reminded her, knowing she must've been talking about the boy they had met in the park and Grace quickly nodded her head.

"Yeah, his name is Zach, Mom. He's really fun. He pushed me on the swings, and we played tag, 'cept he's waaaay faster than me" she carried on and Peter just about stopped paying attention again when the next sentence that left his daughter's lips immediately caught his attention once more.

"And I met his Mommy, too. She's _really_ pretty, right Daddy?" she said innocently enough, but Peter was quick to jump on that missile before it could leave it's silo and promptly began hurrying Grace off the phone.

"Hey, it's getting late Kiddo, say goodnight to your Mommy and go get ready for bed. I'll be in in a few minutes"

"Okay" Grace sighed heavily. "I hafta get ready for bed now Mommy. G'night, love you"

"_I love you too. Good night_" her Mother said before Grace handed the phone off to her father then slid off the couch and headed off towards her bedroom.

"Hey" Peter said into the phone, clearing his throat. He would pretty much always talk to Cheryl after Grace would get off the phone with her; he knew even though she may not be Mother of the Year, that she still liked to hear from Peter on how Grace was doing and if there was anything new she needed to know about.

"Hey" came her easy reply and he could tell she was smiling into the phone and he was desperately hoping that she was going to let that last comment of Grace's slide.

"So Grace tells me you two made some new friends" She mentioned slyly and Peter immediately rolled his eyes. He should've known she couldn't just let it go.

"_Grace_ made a new friend" He amended promptly. Not giving her any satisfaction.

"Oh come on Peter" he could hear her sigh into the phone. "This doesn't have to be weird, you can tell me if you've met someone"

"I didn't _meet_ someone" he groaned, rubbing a hand on his forehead. "She's... we were... it was just two parents having a conversation while our kids played. It was nothing" he finally finished.

"Uh huh. Are you going to see her again?"

"No, of course not, I don't even know her, Cheryl. For all I know she's married anyway"

"Hmmm, so if she wasn't, you _would_ be interested?" She surmised and he could practically see her grinning in amusement on the other end of the phone.

"What? No. Stop twisting my words. I was just saying, I know nothing about her"

"Well _I'm_ just saying that it's about time you got out there, you know? When's the last time you even had a girlfriend?" She asked and he instantly felt his blood boil, despite himself.

"You know what, I'm sorry but I've actually been a little busy raising _our daughter_ to be thinking about my dating life" he practically growled into the phone. He should have known this conversation would end in a fight; they usually did. He didn't mean to start up with her again but he just couldn't stand how lightly she takes everything. He used to love that about her; that she hadn't had a care in the world; but then of course they had a child and while his entire world seemed to turn upside she couldn't even be bothered to try and change hers. Of course she didn't get it, she wasn't responsible for another human being 11 months out of the year like he was. Not that he was complaining mind you, he just hated how she failed to comprehend how big of a role the well-being of your child was supposed to have in your life. When Grace went to visit her it was all vacations and good times for two weeks and then ship her back home to Dad who deals with the day-to-day struggles. She couldn't possibly understand, which is what frustrated him most.

"Oh my God Peter, can we not start on this right now please?" she huffed into the phone.

"Start what?"

"This whole thing where you make me feel guilty and like the worst mother on the planet. I was just trying to tell you that it's alright for you to start dating again. I know you're worried about Grace, but it's not like you're going to bring some psychopath home with you, and you can't go into a relationship honestly believing that you can't develop it at all because you have too much baggage or whatever. It's not healthy and you're never going to let it get serious with anyone if you always approach it this way"

He let out a huff of disbelief at that notion; as if it were really that easy. "So what, I should just go find somebody to shack up with, like you did? Is that it?" He said with an accusatory edge to his tone that couldn't be mistaken.

"Shacking up? What.. Ah, I take it Grace told you about Ben"

"Yeah, she told me. When exactly were you going to let me know that you have some random guy living with you when our daughter is there?" He continued grilling her, and could hear her let out an exasperated sigh on the other end.

"Ben is not some _random_ guy. You make me sound like some kind of floozy or something. Jesus, Peter. For your information, he's a successful cardiologist and we happen to care about each other a lot"

"Yeah, I bet you do" he groaned with a roll of his eyes. His ex-wife often liked to speak to him more like he was her best friend rather than her ex-husband and was a little too liberal in sharing information on any and all new relationships in her life. Though come to think of it, she hadn't really been mentioning any lately. He couldn't recall if she had ever mentioned a Ben, the names kind of just ran together at this point.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she huffed in response.

"Nothing, enjoy your latest flavour of the month, and don't call me crying a week from now when you guys break up!" That was a low blow, he knew it the moment the words left his lips, but he couldn't force himself to care at the moment. He was sick of hearing the same garbage from her all the time and then have her turn around and try and place judgement on his dating life; or lack thereof as it were.

"It's not like that with him" he could hear her voice getting firmer, though he still had a hard time believing it.

"Okay, fine" he resigned with a sigh. "What's it like then?"

"Ben and I... it's serious, Peter"

_yeah, he'd believe that when he saw it. _

"We've been together five months now" she continued a moment later when he didn't say anything. "We're... We're getting married, Peter" she told him and his eyes actually lit up in surprise. He couldn't believe it; Cheryl, the queen of non-commitment, getting married? He could not have heard her right.

"You're what?"

"I wanted to wait until the right time to tell you. I haven't told Grace yet either, but she's met Ben and she really likes him and of course he just adores her. He's a good guy, you'd like him too, Peter."

"Uh huh" he simply groaned.

"Are you upset?" She asked uneasily and was forced to endure a long moment of silence before Peter finally spoke again.

"I... I don't know. No, I mean, I'm glad for you and all but... I don't know" he sighed and shook his head. What was he even supposed to feel? He had no idea. He may not have romantic feelings towards her anymore, but it was certainly still odd to think of her marrying someone else. Not to mention what this could potentially mean for Grace. He was certainly feeling something. _Jealousy?_ It was possible. _Anger?_ Likely. Though more so for being left in the dark than anything. _Resignation?_ At this point, most definitely. She was going to do what she wanted to do; she always had. He had given up caring a long time ago.

"I know, it's weird, I'm sorry I didn't mean to tell you over the phone like this" she apologized with a heavy sigh.

"It's okay" his voice was much quieter now and he looked around the room while an awkward silence hung heavily between them.

"And you know I don't want you to worry about anything" Cheryl began again a moment later. "It won't change anything between us. I still think that it's best for Grace if she's there with you. I mean work is so crazy for both Ben and I and it's not like we have our families here or anything like you have your Mother to help out. And I know I don't say this nearly as often as I should but... You're really doing a wonderful job raising her, Peter. Think of me what you will, but not a day goes by that I don't think about her but at least I know she's safe and better off with you. I just... I couldn't do what you do. I'm.. I don't know, ill-equipped or something" she finished with a nervous laugh.

"I'm sorry" he finally sighed; starting to feel a little guilty now. "Look, for what it's worth I don't think you're a bad mother or a terrible person. Grace adores you, you know that"

"I know" she whispered softly and he could her sniffle, knowing she had started to cry. He hung his head. It didn't change the fact that what she did was wrong and that she should have discussed it with him first, but he knew now she at least got the point so there wasn't much reason for continuing his assault on her anymore so he decided to just let it go.

"Well listen I should probably help Grace finish getting ready for bed, okay?" He finally spoke and she hummed her lips in agreement.

"Okay, yeah of course. Good night and I'll talk to you next week?"

"Yeah, next week" he agreed before offering her a quick goodnight and hanging up the phone.

Heaving a heavy sigh he pulled himself up from the sofa and headed down the hallway to check in on Grace. He found her already under the covers and waiting for him, story book in hand and he smiled at her as he entered the room.

"All set for bed there Kiddo?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah huh, I brushed my teeth, see!" she exclaimed, gritting her teeth together and opening her mouth wide for him to see.

"Good girl" he praised, taking a seat next to her on her bed and pulling her against his side for a quick hug and a kiss to the top of her head.

"Daddy?" Grace began, looking up at her father with a questionable glance.

"Yeah Sweetheart?"

"Why were you and Mommy fighting?" she asked quietly, her gaze now shifted to blanket over her lap instead of on her father.

He sighed. He hadn't meant for her to overhear any of that, but he supposed he did get a little heated and perhaps raised his voice more than he thought he had.

"It was nothing Sweetie, just... Sometimes Mommy and Daddy disagree on some things and we fight about it. But I don't want you to worry about that, okay? It's all okay now" he assured her and she gave a half-hearted nod of her head.

"It was a'cause of me?" she innocently deduced. She knew well enough that pretty much the only time her parents ever fought was after Grace would get off the phone with her Mother. Really, it was pretty much the only time they spoke, as far as Grace knew.

"No, no, of course not" Peter quickly assured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Honey"

"How come Mommy doesn't lives with us?" she questioned; chancing a glance up at him again and he furrowed his brow as he thought about how to appropriately answer that question so that she would understand.

"Because... Well, your Mommy's work is in LA and we didn't want to move you away from your home and your Grandma and everybody so we thought it was best that you stay here with me" he said with a shrug. It was mostly true; apart from the whole falling-out-of-love with each other thing and Cheryl not being _equipped_ enough for parenthood. But Grace didn't need to know any of those things yet.

"But your Mother loves you very much. And _I_ love you very much. Okay?" He continued and she nodded.

"How come my friend Zach said he doesn't has a Daddy? How can he not has a Daddy?" she began on a whole new line of questioning and Peter found this one even more difficult.

"How do you know that?" He asked to clarify before he went on to try and attempt an answer she would understand.

"At the park, when we were playing I asked him how comed his Daddy wasn't there like my Daddy and he said it was a'cause he doesn't has one" she carefully explained; her brow furrowed as if she was trying hard to remember their exact conversation.

"Oh," Peter nodded slightly. "Well, I'm not really sure Honey, I didn't ask his Mom that but I'm sure there's a reason"

"Like what?" she questioned and he sighed once more.

"Well, not everyone is as lucky as you to have a Mommy and a Daddy. Some kids just have one or the other" he shrugged. "He could be in Heaven, like your Grandpa, or maybe he's just not around. There's lots of possibilities Kiddo"

"Oh, okay" Grace gave a small shrug; her curiosity not really satisfied but deciding to give up on the topic anyway. She had more pressing matters to attend to...

"Peter Rabbit time Daddy?" She asked happily, shoving the book towards him and he chuckled.

"Ugh, you and Peter Rabbit" he sighed dramatically for her amusement. "I'm going to start calling you Gracie Rabbit" he groaned before wrapping his arms around her, lifting her into his lap and tickling her sides until she began to squeal out in laughter as she kicked and squirmed in his grasp.

"Ssssss-stop tickling Daddy!" she begged through her laughter.

"Alright fine" he finally agreed, still holding her in his lap but ceasing on his tickle assault.

"You know what though, Daddy got you a new book to read tonight, okay? We're going to read it together, and take turns. How does that sound?" He asked, reaching down to pull a book out from a bag he had placed on the floor earlier, but she scrunched her nose up at him at first; seemingly unamused at the thought of no Peter Rabbit tonight.

"Don't give me that look" he teased her, pinching her nose between his thumb and index finger, causing her to snort out a laugh.

"You'll like this one" he continued a moment later. "It's a Princess story" he explained and her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Okay Daddy" she agreed happily, settling into his lap and resting her head underneath his chin.

"Okay, let's get started" he smiled against her hair before beginning to help her in sounding out the title words of the new storybook.

* * *

_A/N 2: This chapter seemed to get away from me a little bit and ended up a bit longer than most. Hope that's alright. And for those wondering where the heck Alicia is; have no fear, she will make an appearance in the next chapter! Reviews are love. xoxo._


	7. Unexpected Encounter

**The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart **

**Chapter 7: Unexpected Encounter**

* * *

Alicia practically sprinted down the hallways of Morgan Park Acadamy; dragging Zach behind her as he clutched onto her hand, running to keep up with her.

_Late. On his first day. Just great Alicia._ She inwardly chastised herself. She had set the alarm on her cell phone, but had failed to realized that the battery was pretty much dead when she had went to bed because Zach had taken it and was playing games on it for a couple hours while she had made dinner and tidied up their apartment afterwards. Zach had surprisingly enough been the one to wake her up, wondering what time they should be getting up if school started in half an hour. Alicia practically jumped out of bed and they had rushed out the door as quickly as possible. It had not been a great morning so far.

Getting him to his classroom door just as the final bell rang Alicia sighed with relief; quickly kissing the top of Zach's head and wishing him a good first day before he disappeared off into his classroom.

She looked down to her watch, grateful at least that she wasn't going to be late for work. She had another hour before she had to be there, so enough time to thankfully go home and get her phone that she had left charging on the kitchen counter. Digging through her handbag as she walked down the hallway, Alicia was hardly paying attention to where she was going; too busy grumbling into her purse to notice the person she had nearly walked right into until a voice spoke, calling her name and startling her to a stop.

"Hey, it's Alicia, right?" a male voice called and she furrowed her brow before spinning slowly around to see who would be calling her name, hoping she wasn't getting a lecture from Zach's principal or teacher already for his tardiness.

_Oh._ She was pleasantly surprised however when her gaze landed on _Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome_ himself, from the park the other day, standing before her just a few feet away and offering her a small wave. She stared at him, seemingly frozen to her spot on the floor until her brain caught up with her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, hi" she managed to shake herself out of her daze and smiled warmly at him, taking a few steps closer. "I was off in my own world, I didn't see you standing there"

"I know, I had to step out of the way or I thought you were going to knock me right over" he answered and Alicia was instantly embarrassed, but then the smile that crossed his lips told her he was only teasing and so she offered a half smirk of her own.

"So, your son goes to school here?" He asked, hands comfortably stuffed in the pockets of his suit pants; his blazer hanging open. _Probably on his way into work after this_, she surmised.

"Yep" she smiled with a nod. "Just started second grade"

"Oh yeah? Who's his homeroom teacher?" Peter inquired.

"Um, Mrs. Jackson?" Alicia answered, hoping she had been able to remember the name correctly. It had been a hectic morning.

"Oh wow, so the same class as Marissa then; the gifted class" Peter replied with a nod of his head.

_Marissa? Who?_

"Oh, you... have another daughter?" Alicia asked, slightly confused. She had thought she remembered him mentioning only having one, but perhaps she'd been mistaken.

"Oh, no, no, no" Peter quickly shook his head, chuckling slightly at the misunderstanding. "Marissa is the daughter of some family friends" he explained. "She is wise beyond her years" Peter continued with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "I'm sure her and Zach, is it?" He asked to clarify and she nodded. "Right, well I'm sure her and Zach will get along famously. She's very advanced for her age" he continued and she couldn't help but smile at that; he'd only met Zach for a few minutes and already knew how bright he was.

"That's actually why I'm over in this hallway actually, I had come to see if I would run into her parents after dropping her off so I could say hi" he explained and she nodded once more.

"So, your daughter goes here then?" Alicia asked to clarify and he smiled at that.

"Yep, started her first _full _day today so... It was a big deal, I suppose" he finished with a shrug but she knew that it was and could see the smile hiding behind his eyes.

"Oh, I remember Zach's very first day" Alicia smiled fondly at the memory. "How did it go, leaving her there?" she asked and Peter sighed.

"Ah, well, you know" he shrugged. "There were some tears, that's for sure" he explained and she frowned apologetically at him.

"Aw, poor thing" she sighed and he nodded.

"Yeah" he sighed once more. "But you know, after a while Grace was able to calm me down and I stopped crying eventually so..." he trailed off, a smirk forming at the corners of his lips and Alicia couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped before she playfully shoved his shoulder.

"Ow, what?" he teased, lightly chuckling himself now.

"Peter!" a woman's voice suddenly called out, interrupting their laughter and Alicia looked behind her until she saw a woman walking purposefully towards them. She was about Alicia's height, shoulder length brown hair, thin, and dressed very professionally. Certainly too well dressed to be a teacher. _The mother, perhaps?_ Alicia wondered. Though she was fairly certain after meeting Grace that her mother was likely a blond.

"Hey, Sweetheart" Peter had greeted her as she approached, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek as she kissed the opposite side on him.

_Sweetheart? Girlfriend, perhaps?_

"Hey Darling" she greeted him back, swiping her thumb across his other cheek to wipe off the lipstick she had left on it. "Grace go in all right?" she asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, she couldn't wait, actually"

"See, told you you were worrying over nothing" she groaned.

Alicia suddenly felt a little strange standing here awkwardly watching the two and was about to excuse herself when suddenly Peter cut in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Alicia, this is Vanessa Gold, Marissa's mother" he explained and a light bulb seemed to go off in Alicia's head and she gave a polite nod.

_Oh, the family friends. _

"Oh, of course, nice to meet you. Alicia Cavanaugh" Alicia greeted politely, shaking the other woman's hand briefly before letting it go.

"Right, how do you two know each other?" The woman asked abruptly, looking between the two of them.

"I uh, met Alicia and her son at the park last weekend when Grace and I were there" Peter answered for them and the woman before them nodded, a look of confusion still slightly etched in her features.

"We just, ran into each other here now," Alicia felt the need to continue. "Turns out our kids go to the same school, and my son is actually in the same class as your daughter it seems"

"Oh" the woman shrugged. "Well, it was _very_ nice to meet you, Alicia" she said politely before turning back to Peter and offering him a wink, and a small nudge of her elbow to his.

"Uh, well," Peter began again, clearing his throat dramatically at the less than subtle friend of his; clearly a little embarrassed. "I was actually hoping to run into Eli, where's he at?" Peter asked, looking around the hallway for a moment and Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"The office. Where else" she mentioned with a slight huff. "You know the sky is always falling somewhere with that man" she explained with a wave of her hand and Peter nodded.

"Yeah, comes with the job I guess" he offered with a half shrug.

"Oh Jesus" Vanessa groaned as her cell phone vibrated and she brought it out to read the text message. "Pick up your own damn dry cleaning, like I don't have a life to get back to?" she grumbled towards her phone before carelessly tossing it back into her hand bag with a huff. Peter gave an apologetic frown towards Alicia and she offered a small smile in return.

"Speak of the Devil huh?" Peter joked and Vanessa shook her head.

"Please, the Devil wouldn't last three rounds with my husband" she huffed.

"That's probably true" he shrugged in return.

"Hey listen, you and Grace are still coming for dinner tomorrow night, right?" she asked, changing the subject.

"That depends, are you cooking?" he asked and she rolled her eyes.

"No"

"Well then of course, we'll be there" he smirked and she gently smacked his arm with her purse.

"Shut up" she huffed at him, a smile playing on her lips. "Okay look, I gotta run, see you tomorrow"

"All right, tomorrow" Peter agreed and they kissed each other on the cheek once more before the woman turned back to Alicia.

"Don't be afraid to smack him when he gets out of line like that" she told her jokingly. "It was nice to meet you, and maybe we'll see you again?" She asked and Alicia gave a half-hearted nod of her head.

"Yeah, maybe" she smiled politely. "Nice to have met you too"

"_Maybe_" the woman repeated slyly, but in Peter's direction this time before nudging him once more and raising an eyebrow at him as she walked away; the sound of her heels clicking on the linoleum floor echoing through the hallway.

"Sorry about that" Peter quickly apologized with a shake of his head once the woman had gotten through the doors. "She skipped social etiquette in school" he joked and Alicia smirked as she gave him a nod.

"It's okay, kinda reminds me of my family, actually. They'll say anything to anyone, no filter whatsoever" she explained with a small shrug.

"Yeah well, we're just lucky she was in a hurry, otherwise she would've had us set up on a date before she let either of us leave" he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, good thing then..." Alicia shrugged, letting out a small uncomfortable laugh.

"Oh, no, I didnt mean-" Peter quickly began and Alicia smirked at his embarrassment.

"No, it's okay, I know-"

"No really, I didn't mean, well, I just meant," he struggled to explain and Alicia couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her. Poor man.

"No, Peter, really, I know what you meant" she said smiling, placing a hand on his shoulder and he finally offered a smile of his own back.

He let out a long breath as he rocked back on his heels, hands back in his pockets now. "Could I, maybe, buy you a cup of coffee some time?" he asked and she tilted her head at him.

"Just, you know, as friends, to get to know each other" he clarified after a moment and she smiled at him.

"That would be nice"

"Great" he smiled back at her. "Will you be picking Zach up after school? Maybe we could meet an hour or so before then at the cafe just up the street? I have court this morning but I should be done by around 2"

"Yeah sure, I know the place" Alicia smiled, nodding her head. "So, meet you at 2:30?"

"2:30" Peter confirmed, nodding his head. "See you then"

"Okay" Alicia nodded before continuing past him to leave the school; her day finally possibly starting to look up.

* * *

_A/N: Originally I wrote this chapter and included the coffee date in it, but by the time I was done it was quite lengthy so I decided to split it in half, so the next chapter will be Peter and Alicia at coffee and I will be posting it soon, once I get a good enough head start on the chapter that will be following it.  
As always, your reviews are encouragement for me to keep going and write faster so I hope to hear from you before you go :)_


	8. History

**The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart**

**Chapter 8: History**

* * *

Alicia walked into the small coffee shop and sighed when she looked at the time on her watch.

_2:48. She was late, again._

Today really was not her day. She half assumed Peter would have left by now and she'd have to have an awkward run-in with him in the hallway of the kids school and explain that she didn't stand him up; or rather hadn't _meant_ to stand him up. She was relieved however when she scanned over the coffee shop and found him sitting at a small table in the far corner, cappuccino mug already in hand.

"Peter, hi" she greeted with an apologetic sigh as she made her way over to the table. "I am so sorry I'm just, having one of those days. Meeting with a client ran late" she explained, dropping her hands at her sides in exasperation.

"Oh, it's no problem" Peter quickly dismissed, standing up from his chair when she reached the table. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if you were coming so I went ahead and ordered something already. What can I get you?" He asked kindly and she gave him a small smile.

"Oh, you don't have to do that, I can get it" she assured him but his arm quickly reached out and covered her hand that was reaching for her purse.

"Sorry" he immediately apologized; pulling his hand away like he'd been burnt. "Just, let me get it. I'd like to apologize for this morning" he explained with a small shrug of his shoulder.

"Well, if you insist" she agreed with a smile; certain he wasn't going to take no for an answer anyway. "I'll just have a cappucino, skim milk please"

"Sure thing" he nodded. "Oh, here," he began, circling around the table to her chair and pulling out just slightly for her.

"Thank you" she smiled at him before sitting down and he took his leave over to the counter to order her drink. She wasn't used to this treatment, that was for sure. The only time she ever went out to dinner or anywhere like that was always with Owen and Zach and they weren't exactly gentlemen. It was a race from the door with the two of them as to who could get to the "booth seat" first, leaving Alicia to always be stuck with the chair.

"Here you go" Alicia was pulled from her thoughts as Peter's voice spoke, setting the steaming beverage down in front of her on the table before he took back to his seat across from her.

"Thanks again" she smiled at him. "You really didn't have to, and don't apologize for your friend" she told him with a wave of her hand.

"She can uh... be a bit on the dramatic side" Peter mentioned, raising his eyebrows a little and Alicia let out a small laugh as she nodded her head.

"Yeah, I can see that"

"But anyway, enough about that. Tell me about yourself, you said you were in a meeting, can I ask what you do?" He asked casually, taking a sip from his mug while waiting for her response.

"Interior decorator" she offered with a small shrug.

"Really?" Peter's brow lifted in surprise and she wasn't sure if he was just trying to be polite or if he was actually interested.

"That's funny" he said with a small grin and she quickly narrowed her gaze at him.

_So much for being polite. _

"Why is that funny, exactly?" she asked defensively, settling back against her chair now.

She may not be some fancy lawyer like he was, but she'd still worked hard to get where she was today and managed to make a life for her and Zach. She had never found anything _'funny'_ about that. She continued staring at him as a look of confusion crossed his features before his eyes suddenly went wide as some realization seemed to have stricken him.

"Oh, no, no, I didn't mean. Wow, twice in one day Peter, way to go" he grumbled to himself, forehead resting in his hand before bringing his gaze back up to meet hers. "I meant it's funny because my friend Eli is just in the process of renovating his offices and his wife, who you met this morning, was insisting on doing the decorating herself and that of course led to a big fight because if you'd seen Vanessa's taste in home decor you'd... I'm sorry, I'm rambling now" he apologized with a shake of his head. "I didn't mean your_ job_ is funny, It's funny that just the other day Eli was asking me if I could recommend someone. My ex-wife was in the business before she got into an architecture firm" he explained further.

"Oh..." Alicia let out slowly; feeling a little silly now for immediately assuming the worst. Though to be fair, she'd been on so many bad dates it seemed in her past that she had gotten used to assuming the worst in people.

_Not that this is a date,_ she had to remind herself. Wow, she really did need to get out more, she couldn't even remember what it was like to have a friend anymore.

"Well I can give you my card, if you like. Your friend can check out my website and contact me from there if he wants to" she eventually offered, shaking herself out of her musings and digging into her purse to find a business card.

"That'd be great" Peter smiled at her. "Any chance I could get one of those too?" He asked as she slid the small white card across the table to him.

"Oh, are you looking for a decorator as well?" she asked as she fished another card out of her wallet.

"Uh, no..." Peter admitted with a small smirk forming at the corner of his mouth and it dawned on Alicia that he wasn't interested in getting her contact information for business purposes.

"Oh..."

"Sorry, I just thought, you know our kids seemed to really hit it off, maybe we could get them together again some time" he offered and she suddenly felt embarrassed. Of course that's what he would have meant.

"Sure, yeah, of course" she smiled, handing him a second card. "My cell number is on there"

"Great" he smiled, tucking the card into the inside breast pocket of his suit jacket.

"So..." he breathed, tapping his fingers along the edge of the table. "What else should I know about you?" he asked before taking another sip of his drink and placing the cup back in the saucer.

"Not a whole lot to tell" Alicia shrugged with a small smile. "You've met Zach, that is about 95 percent of my life" she laughed.

"He's great" Peter praised, smiling back at her. "Grace was talking about him all weekend"

"Really?" Alicia asked, surprised.

"Well, she couldn't always remember his name, so for a while he was 'boy at the park', but I knew who she was talking about" he explained and she let out a small laugh.

"Well Zach doesn't have a lot of friends so, it was nice for him too. We don't live very close to the school so he doesn't get to see his classmates really outside of school"

"Ah," Peter acknowledged with a small nod. "Well Grace just has her _'cousin'_" he mentioned, using air quotes. "Eli and Vanessa's daughter" he continued to explain. "Eli is my best friend and the kids have grown up together so it's Uncle Eli, and Uncle Peter to them"

"Oh, well that's nice she has someone close" Alicia smiled. "It's just Zach and I. He keeps asking me for a brother" she said with a small chuckle, shaking her head.

"Can I... ask you something?" Peter began carefully and Alicia furrowed her brow in curiosity. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but..."

"Zach's Father?" Alicia finished the question for him and Peter let out a small laugh as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not my business or anything, you don't have to tell me" he assured her and she offered him a small smile.

"It's okay" she shrugged. "His name is Ryan. He's... not around, anymore"

"Oh, I'm sorry" Peter quickly apologized and Alicia shook her head.

"It's okay. He hasn't been around since... well, ever, really. So, no need to apologize" she assured him. "We were dating in college and... well, having a baby wasn't exactly in his future plans so he split on us about a week after Zach was born and... there you have it. Haven't heard from him since" she shrugged and Peter offered an apologetic frown.

"Well, some people just aren't cut out for parenting. Or, at least that's my ex-wife's excuse" he groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, you were married?" Alicia asked, intrigued.

"Well, not for long" he offered with a sad chuckle. "She uh... Couldn't do the whole domestic, baby and marriage deal it turns out. She lives in LA now, Grace visits twice a year" he explained with a shrug.

"Oh, that must be hard on Grace" Alicia sighed, her features softened with genuine concern.

"Grace is tough" Peter replied, the twinkle returning to his eyes when he spoke of his little girl, and the corners of his mouth curling upwards. "She has questions some times, but for the most part, she seems content with how things are and I try to do my best by her to keep her happy"

"Yeah, Zach doesn't ask questions anymore" Alicia mentioned, shaking her head lightly. "He used to, especially when he first started going to school and wondering why everyone else had a Dad but him, but we got through it"

"Still, must've been tough" Peter offered and Alicia gave a small nod.

"Yeah but in the end, it's Ryan that's missing out on a great kid so..." she trailed off, taking a sip of her cappuccino and Peter offered a warm smile.

"Yeah, true enough"

"So, how's life at the State's Attorney's office?" Alicia asked, genuinely interested and deciding to change the subject to a more positive one.

"Ah, you know, most days I love it, some I don't" he offered with a shrug. "It's really not terribly exciting" he explained and she let out a small laugh as she nodded.

"How come the State's Attorney's office? Why not private?"

"Well to be honest, my other passion, besides the law, is politics and when I first started out in the SA's office I thought, who knows, maybe one day I'll be in the big office as State's Attorney, and after that well, the possibilities were endless. That was my dream, in the beginning at least" he mentioned, and she furrowed her brow slightly at him.

"Not anymore?" She asked curiously and he frowned softly, shrugging his shoulders.

"It seemed like a great idea seven years ago, when I was just starting out there. But now, given my, _situation_, I'm not so sure about it. My priorities have changed and I have to think about what's best for Grace" he explained, and she nodded slowly in understanding.

"Ah, I see. That makes sense. But hey, Assistant State's Attorney still sounds impressive" Alicia added and Peter chuckled, smiling at her.

"Thank you, but it's really not. There's dozens of us, it's not like I'm _The_ ASA, I'm just one of many. I've got something in the works though, I'm up for a promotion to Deputy State's Attorney, which honestly isn't all that prestigious either" he laughed slightly before continuing. "It's basically just being in charge of the other ASA's in your division, but at least I'm in the Criminal division, so that's kind of the big one" he explains and Alicia gave a small smile.

"Well, good luck with the promotion" she offered sincerely and he smiled back at her.

"Thank you"

They sat in silence for a moment, both taking the opportunity to finish their drinks when Peter suddenly placed his cup down and brought his wrist up to look at his watch.

"Damn, the time, almost forgot. We should get out of here, the bell is about to ring" he explained and Alicia's eyes shot open in surprise in the midst of taking the last sip of her drink. She had forgotten all about keeping an eye on the time.

"Yeah, guess we better go" she mentioned, pushing her chair back slightly and standing up.

"This was great though, it's nice just... having someone to talk to other than a five year old some times" he said sincerely and she smiled at him.

"Yeah, it was" she offered back before a silence grew between them as they stood there just smiling at one another.

"Uh, well" Peter eventually managed, clearing his throat. "I guess we should go then huh?" He asked and she simply nodded.

They both headed out the front doors and to their separate cars that were parked on the street; Peter's in the spot in front of Alicia's.

"Well, if I don't run into you at the school, I'll uh... call you sometime?" he asked and Alicia gave him a nod.

"Yeah, Zach would love that, of course" she called back to him and he smiled.

"Great, see you later then" he said before climbing into his SUV and heading off down the street.

"Yeah, see you later" Alicia mentioned into her empty sedan as she got inside and closed the door.

_That was, kinda nice._ She thought to herself before pulling the car out into the heavy afternoon traffic.

* * *

_A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. As always, your reviews are very much appreciated! Also, ignore my ignorance where the State's Attorney's office is concerned. I don't think "Deputy State's Attorney" is really a promotion from ASA, at least not according to wikipedia, they are apparently one in the same, but when Cary was offered Deputy, it was treated as a promotion, so I'm going to continue with that logic. _


	9. Old Friends, and New

**The Good Wife: A Home For My Heart**

**Chapter 9: Old friends, and New**

* * *

It was a few minutes until dinner would be served and with the kids off playing in Marissa's room and Vanessa busying herself by setting the table as the Nanny finished preparing their meal, Peter and Eli took the opportunity to enjoy the unusually warm September evening and stepped out onto the backyard deck to relax with a glass of Scotch away from all the noise inside the Gold household.

Eli had been a close friend to Peter since childhood. Their father's had been friends and so Peter and Eli practically grew up together and now here they stood, decades later with children of their own and their friendship just as strong as it had been nearly thirty years ago when they used to spend their days playing in sandboxes together. Their dynamic hadn't changed much, their sandboxes just got a lot bigger with Peter up for a Chief Deputy position in the SA's office, and Eli running his own image consulting firm, their fathers would have been proud had they still been here to see them today.

Eli stood on the edge of the deck next to Peter, leaning over to rest his elbows on the railing while he cradled his tumbler of scotch in both hands. He was nearly the same height as Peter, save for maybe an inch or two but certainly couldn't match Peter in build. Eli was a very lean man, but a man comfortable in his own skin. His suits were always tailored just right, and he was rarely seen in anything but. His dark chestnut coloured cheekbone length hair was slicked back as it always was, though with a few unruly strands hanging across his forehead now and this was about as casual as Eli Gold ever got.

"So" Eli began casually after a moment as he took a sip from his glass. "Heard you're seeing someone" he mentioned and Peter immediately rolled his eyes.

"What is with everyone and this obsession with my, non-existent by the way, dating life?" He sighed, shaking his head.

_This was really starting to get old. Who was next, his Mother? God, he hoped not._

"Well, Cheryl called the other day to tell Vanessa that she got engaged, weird, by the way" he stopped to mention, raising an eyebrow at Peter to gauge his reaction.

"Right?" Peter simply chuckled, glad he wasn't the only one who found the idea ludicrous.

"Yeah, I give it six months, but anyway, that's besides the point, she put some bug in Vanessa's ear about you doing some woman you met at a park? What is that about?"

"I am not _doing_ anyone" Peter huffed. Of course Cheryl hadn't believed him when he said it was nothing.

"Right, well that's what I said, but then Vanessa says she met this woman yesterday?"

"Oh Jeez" Peter sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. "I wish your guys' lives would get more interesting so you'd all stop meddling in mine. Our kids played together, _once_. Then I ran into her at the school because it turns out her son goes there. He's in your daughters class, by the way, and so we were chatting in the hallway when Vanessa happened by. That's it"

"So... you're not doing anyone?" Eli asked to clarify and Peter rolled his eyes once more.

"What are we, fourteen? No, I am not _doing_ anyone. Nor am I dating anyone. We've had a couple cups of coffee together, that's it" he explained and Eli nodded, seemingly taking all the information in.

"Right. With, or without the kids?"

"Why would that make a difference?" Peter questioned; genuinely interested in why it mattered at all and Eli simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Once with, once without" he admitted after a moment and Eli's lips twitched upwards into a sly grin.

"Hmmm, I see" was all he replied with; the amusement behind his eyes telling more than words ever could and Peter found himself rolling his eyes at the man once more.

"Oh come on, it was a friendly cup of coffee, as an apology by the way after your wife all but rented us a hotel room" Peter continued, shaking his head as he recalled the memory of the awkward run-in at the kids school the day prior. "She's really gotta work on her subtlety you know"

"Well, at least she's trying to get one of us laid" Eli grumbled into his glass before taking another sip and Peter finally loosened up enough to let out a small chuckle.

"Aw, not feeling any love in the Gold household?" Peter teased and Eli promptly rolled his eyes.

"Not in weeks" he huffed. "I'm half tempted to suggest we try for another kid so at least I'll get a few weeks of sex before she decides its a bad idea and gives up"

"Yeah, but you realize you may still end up with another kid at the end of the whole ordeal, right?"

"Oh God no, I was going to just keep secretly slipping her birth control pills, just swap them out for her Ambien, she takes those like candy anyway"

"Husband of the Year..." Peter mused, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth as he shook his head before downing the last of his scotch. "And why do you always have to somehow trick your wife into sleeping with you? Can't you just be like a normal guy and just be nice to her so she actually wants to have sex with you?"

"Nah, would never work, she'd see right through me" Eli quickly dismissed with a shake of his head.

"That's probably true" Peter shrugged in agreement. "Nice isn't your strong suit"

"No" Eli promptly agreed.

"Well, good luck with your terrible plan, my friend" he mentioned, his hand landing sharply on Eli's shoulder before giving it a squeeze.

"Dinner!" Vanessa's voice suddenly called out to them from inside the house and Eli gestured for them to head inside.

"Come now, my Evil Queen awaits us" he grumbled and Peter just shook his head, chuckling as he followed after Eli.

* * *

Dinner at the Gold's had gone well, however ended up running later than Peter had initially anticipated and so it hadn't been much of a surprise when after pulling the SUV into their driveway, he had found Grace fast asleep in her booster chair in the back seat. Letting out a sigh Peter unbuckled her before carefully lifting her into his arms and carrying her inside, hoping he wouldn't wake her as he juggled her in his grasp while fighting with the front door to get the proper key in the lock.

Entering their quiet home, he headed straight for Grace's bedroom and put her in bed. She stirred slightly when he had to change her out of her dress and tights and into her pyjamas, but was asleep again within seconds, uttering only a few hardly coherent syllables as she buried her face into her favourite stuffed animal and fell back into a peaceful slumber. Peter was grateful that she slept like the dead; once she was out, it was usually for the entire night and not much of anything could wake her. Leaning down to kiss her forehead, Peter said a quiet "goodnight" and headed out of her bedroom, shutting off the light on his way out the door.

With Grace asleep, it left Peter with a couple uninterrupted hours to catch up on some paperwork he had brought home from the office earlier this afternoon so with that thought in mind, he grabbed himself a cold beer from the refridgerator and headed into his study to hopefully get some work done.

Sitting down at the large desk, the first thing to catch Peter's eye was the small white business card he had placed on the corner the previous evening and without hesitation, he reached for it, playing with the small glossy card, tapping it on his desk while he smoothed over the edges with his fingers.

_Alicia Cavanuagh,_ the card read_._ He'd be lying if he said her name hadn't ran through his mind a few times since running into her the day before at Grace's school, and of course their coffee meeting afterwards. The thought of calling her now briefly entered his mind but he quickly dismissed it, figuring it was getting late and she was probably busy anyway putting her son to bed. He instead made a mental note to call her tomorrow afternoon to set up a day for their kids to get together again. Of course he'd only be lying to himself if he said that was the only reason he wanted to call her. It was true what he had said about Grace taking a shine to Zach, but Peter had taken just as much a shine to Zach's mother. She was easy to talk to, though he'd have to admit that wasn't his only reason for wanting to see her again.

He sighed heavily, running his free hand through his hair as the other still tapped the card against the desk. It was the first time since his divorce that he had met a woman as stunningly beautiful as Alicia that he couldn't wait to spend more time with, and he had only met her a handful of times. He was in trouble. He knew it the very first time she smiled at him.

Still, he had a daughter to consider, and she had a son. It was hard enough handling all the baggage that comes with being a single parent in the dating world, let alone two single parents dating each other? It was recipe for disaster, he feared. He hadn't gotten close to anyone since Cheryl, and by the sounds of it, Alicia hadn't either. _Though that didn't mean he couldn't spend time with her as a friend,_ he argued to himself. And friendship was probably something they both needed. Eli was his oldest and closest friend, but having married friends is of course very different. His friends wives seem to be hell bent on trying to set Peter up on blind dates every chance they got, Vanessa included, and his male friends of course just go along with whatever their wives say. So having someone like Alicia who he can just sit and talk with without any pressure was a refreshing and welcomed change. A change he decided he didn't want to give up on so with that thought in mind he made the decision to make a real effort towards a friendship with her; if she'd have him, of course.

Single, _beautiful,_ female friend. He could do this. _Right?_

* * *

_A/N: Hope you enjoyed this one. I know there was no A/P interaction, but I was hoping to distract you with some Peter/Eli bromance in the meantime. More to come soon! Reviews are love._


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